Almost a year on from the spectacular London 2012 Games, BBC Sport has announced it is to launch a new Olympic magazine series and broadcast campaign encouraging sports participation across the UK.

Inspire: The Olympic Journey – a new monthly series airing on Saturday afternoons on BBC One –will celebrate the biggest names, the rising stars and the unsung heroes of Olympic sport.

Presented by Gabby Logan, the series will be accompanied by Get Inspired, a multiplatform, pan-BBC initiative to promote participation and help individuals get more involved in grass-root sporting activities.

The new BBC One series will take an in-depth look at the stories behind the sports, tackling the big issues and discovering the inspiring figures behind our most promising and high-profile sports men and women.

Featuring a variety of reporters, including Matthew Pinsent, and a range of contributors from across the sporting world, each episode will explore the characters behind the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games.

Launching exactly one year after the Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony (July 27), the first episode will air from the Commonwealth Games site in Glasgow.

Accompanied by Sir Chris Hoy, Logan will visit the Velodrome named in his honour and look back at his illustrious career.

She will meet some of the logistical and sporting teams preparing for Glasgow 2014, while Pinsent will explore the true meaning of the Olympics Legacy.

Barbara Slater, Director, BBC Sport, says: “London 2012 was a once-in-a-lifetime event that inspired the nation and provided the ideal opportunity for us to harness an unparalleled enthusiasm for sports.

I’m delighted that Gabby Logan – one of our most popular presenters – will present Inspire: The Olympic Journey, continuing our ongoing commitment to Olympic and Commonwealth sports.

Alongside the new BBC One series, BBC Sport announced the launch of Get Inspired, a new initiative encouraging sports participation.

Working alongside sports bodies across the UK Get Inspired will use multiple broadcast platforms in order to encourage audiences to find out more about sports participation.

Slater added: “The Get Inspired initiative will take advantage of the BBC’s role as the nation’s leading sports broadcaster, encouraging sports participation across the UK and providing viewers with tools to help get involved.”

Inspire: The Olympic Journey and the Get Inspired initiative will support the BBC’s increased commitment to Olympic and Commonwealth sports.

The TV series is the first regular all-round sports show to air on BBC One since Inside Sport, which was also presented by Logan.

Make way for the big guns as the stars of the golfing world will be out in force this week for the 113th US Open, the second Major championship of the season.

All four days of competition from Merion Golf Club’s East Course will be again be shown exclusively live on Sky Sports.

Opened in 1912, the East Course has hosted the US Open on four previous occasions and produced four different winners.

Defending champion Webb Simpson will no doubt be determined to become the fifth, and may even see himself as having a slight advantage over his challengers.

Having previously competed here in the 2005 US Amateur, the American is one of few active players to have experience of the suburban Pennsylvania course.

Simpson’s 2012 success came at the Olympic club in San Francisco, where he held off the challenge of compatriot Michael Thompson and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell.

The latter’s failure to sink a 25-foot putt on the 18th saw Simpson win by one and become the 15th different major winner in a row.

It also made him the ninth straight first-time winner and the third consecutive American to take top honours in one of the season’s four most prestigious tournaments.

A host of top players will be hell bent on taking Simpson’s crown, including current world number one Tiger Woods.

The outrageously prolific American recently claimed his fourth title of 2013 with a two-stroke victory at the Players Championship.

The result took his PGA Tour title tally to 78, leaving him just four short of Sam Snead’s record.

Previous world number one Rory McIlroy is also likely to be among the frontrunners.

He may still be looking for his first tournament win of the year, but the prodigiously talented Northern Irishman is always capable of mounting a challenge.

Beyond that, other people’s picks may include four-time major winner Phil Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker, a man who began the year with three top-three finishes in his first four starts before winning on his fifth.

Merion, in suburban Pennsylvania, has not hosted a major championship for 32 years and had seemed destined for the status of forgotten gem on the US golfing calendar, with Australian David Graham the last winner there in 1981.

To the credit of the USGA, they’ve put class before cash and decided to return to a venue which has a storied history.

Bobby Jones won US Amateur titles there in 1924 and 1930 while Ben Hogan famously captured the US Open in 1950, just 16 months after a near-fatal road accident.

For the 2013 edition, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Master champion Adam Scott have all been put together in an all-star group for the first two rounds of the tournament.

The tournament is scheduled to start on time after volunteers were drafted in to help groundskeepers get the course ready after a period of recent poor weather in Ardmore, causing organisers to put plans in place to use two holes on the adjacent West Course if necessary.

Despite the weather concerns, once again a host of British and European players will be pushing for honours across the Atlantic against America’s finest desperate to take advantage of home support in the 113th US Open.

Follow the 2013 US Open on Sky Sports. Full details below:

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The second major of the golf season is upon us and Sky Sports will bring viewers full live coverage of the 2013 US Open.

Coverage begins on Wednesday (June 12) at 7.00pm on Sky Sports 1 with a special preview show – ‘The Story of Merion’ – presented by Sky Sports commentator Bruce Critchley.

Then tune in for all the live action from the East Course from Thursday through to Sunday, all presented from a special studio overlooking the course by David Livingstone.

Comprehensive analysis and debate through the weekend will be provided by Butch Harmon and Colin Montgomerie, while Ewen Murray, Bruce Critchley and Rob Lee lead the commentary team.

On-course reports and interviews throughout the tournament will come from Howard Clark and Tim Barter.

Sky’s 35 hours of live coverage gets under way at 2.00pm on Thursday (June 13) on Sky Sports 2 HD, with play concluding each night at around midnight.

Pennsylvania is five hours behind the UK, so timings will be more fan friendly than last year’s US Open in San Francisco, when the champion wasn’t crowned until the early hours of the morning.

If you miss any of the action, you can catch up with a new round-up show at 3.00am each night/morning or via extended highlights every morning across the Sky Sports channels.

If you can’t get in front of your TV then you can watch the action on the move on your laptop or mobile device with Sky Go, or if you are not a Sky subscriber you can purchase a Sky Sports Day Passvia NOW TV.

Sky Sports News have updates from Merion GC with regular reports and interviews from around the course.

Four of the world’s top eight players line up for the 2013 AEGON Championships with a star-studded supporting cast competing for the famous title at Queen’s Club.

Marking the start of the grass-court season, this prestigious tournament acts as the premier warm-up event ahead of Wimbledon, which is just two weeks away.

Some of the biggest names in men’s tennis, including Britain’s Andy Murray, will be out in force during the week-long event and you can watch the tournament unfold live on BBC TV and British Eurosport.

The Queen’s Club tournament was first held at the club back in 1890 and its roll call of winners contains some of the biggest names in tennis.

John McEnroe won the tournament four times, while the likes of Boris Becker, Rod Laver, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors are all also multiple winners of the event.

Andy Murray won his second Queen’s title back in 2011 and will be hunting for a third as he fine-tunes his grass-court preparation ahead of another tilt at trying to win Wimbledon.

Murray enjoyed the best season of his career in 2012, beating Novak Djokovic to win the US Open as well as winning the gold medal in the men’s singles at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Scot returns to action at Queen’s after a frustrating month away from the courts and is primed to reclaim the Queen’s title he has already won twice.

Last year’s US Open champion had to withdraw from the recent French Open because of a troublesome back injury, the first time he has missed a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2007.

The world number two will be determined to be fit and firing in the later stages of this year’s AEGON Championships, with the aim of improving on his disappointing early exit last year.

Despite going on to reach his first Wimbledon final a few weeks later, Murray, who entered last year’s tournament as the defending champion, was knocked out in the second round by grass-court specialist Nicolas Mahut.

He will be hoping for a kinder draw as he tries to win what would be his third title in five years.

Murray will be up against another stellar field this year which includes defending champion Marin Cilic, who returns to the scene where he claimed his seventh ATP tour title.

Cilic was crowned champion in controversial circumstances twelve months ago following an unsavoury incident involving his opponent David Nalbandian.

The Argentinean veteran was disqualified in some disgrace after injuring a line judge by accidently kicking an advertising board into his shin.

At the time, Nalbandian was leading Marin Cilic 7-6 3-4 when he smashed a panel in front of Andrew McDougall’s seat, causing his leg to bleed heavily.

Chair umpire Fergus Murphy subsequently awarded the match to Cilic, with the tournament director left in the unfortunate position of explaining the situation to thousands of disgruntled fans watching on centre court.

Organisers will be hoping this year’s tournament will be memorable for all the right reasons and the all-star line-up should ensure that.

Alongside Murray, five other British players will compete at this year’s AEGON Championships, including qualifier Jamie Baker, plus four wildcards – James Ward, Dan Evans, Edward Corrie and French Open men’s junior doubles champion Kyle Edmund.

This year’s AEGON Championships final will be followed byRally Against Cancer, a charity event organised by British doubles player Ross Hutchins.

The 27-year-old, who will be working at Queen’s for British Eurosport, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December, but he has turned his battle against cancer into a positive by enlisting a little help from some his friends in the sport.

Rally Against Cancer features a doubles match where Andy Murray will join forces with former British number one Tim Henman to take on his own coach Ivan Lendl, who will be partnered by Tomas Berdych.

A number of famous faces will also take part as rotating double partners, including Mayor of London Boris Johnson, TV stars Michael McIntyre and Jonathan Ross, Sir Richard Branson and actor Eddie Redmayne of Les Miserables fame.

The Rally Against Cancer event is scheduled to be screened on BBC One and British Eurosport following the singles final on Sunday, June 16.

With crowds expecting to flood in and with the sun starting to shine on one of the longest-running tournaments on the ATP World Tour, the players cannot wait to set foot on the hallowed Queen’s Club turf.

BBC TV will broadcast full coverage of the 2013 AEGON Championships, the premier Wimbledon warm-up event.

Sue Barker presents all the action from Queen’s Club with more than 30 hours of live coverage on BBC network TV plus further live tennis via the Red Button.

BBC Two’s weekday coverage of the tournament has been extended to five hours this year, with coverage starting at 1.00pm and concluding at 6.00pm from Monday to Friday, all of which will also be available in high-definition on BBC Two HD.

Extended coverage can be found via the BBC Red Button during the week (Mon-Fri) with live coverage starting when play begins at 12.30pm.

In addition, there will be at least a further two hours of live action via the Red Button following the end of BBC Two’s transmission.

Both the semi-finals and the final will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC One HD over the weekend of June 15-16, with coverage of the final also featuring the Rally Against Cancer charity event.

Commentary duties throughout the week will be shared between Andrew Castle, Andrew Cotter, John Lloyd and Peter Fleming, while John Inverdale returns from Roland Garros, where he covered the tournament for ITV, to conduct interviews with the players and reports from around the grounds.

All of the BBC’s network TV coverage will available to watch in high-definition on either BBC One HD or BBC Two HD.

Live streaming, text commentaries and match reports will be provided via the BBC Sport website and app.

BBC Radio 5 Live will carry reports throughout the week as well as live commentary of the semi-finals and final.

Channel 5 will screen live coverage of James DeGale’s latest WBC Super Middleweight Silver title defence at Glow in Bluewater on Saturday (June 8).

DeGale claimed his 15th professional victory from 16 fights just four weeks ago with a second-round stoppage of Sebastien Demers in Canada, and he will be expecting to prevail once again against his Croatian opponent, who has lost three of his last six contests.

There’s a double of dose of international boxing on terrestrial television this weekend as BBC Two presents highlights of this week’s European Amateur Championships from Belarus on Sunday afternoon.

The action starts on Saturday night with a night of championship boxing at Glow in Kent.

Headlining the event will be the 2008 Olympic gold medallist James DeGale, defending his WBC Silver super-middleweight title against Croatian fighter Stjepan Bozic.

This will be DeGale’s second fight of 2013, announced just less than two weeks after demolishing Sebastien Demers on his North American debut.

DeGale will now get his chance to return to Glow where he beat Frenchman Hadillah Mohoumadi in his first fight promoted by Mick Hennessy.

The Briton faces Slovenian-born Croatian Stjepan Bozic, who has shared the ring against former middle and super-middleweight world champion Arthur Abraham.

He lost the contest due to a badly injured left hand from hitting Abraham’s right elbow in the second-round.

Bozic has also fought for the WBA World super-middleweight title against Dimitri Sartison, only to be stopped on the advice of the ring doctor for a badly swollen left eye.

He is a former WBA Inter-Continental champion and boasts 26 wins with 17 knockouts and has won his last two contests by way of knockout.

But, the man known as ‘Chunky’ has vowed to make 2013 his year, after dominating former IBO super-middleweight champion Fulgencio Zuniga in Hull back in December.

Now after a second-round knockout of Demers and the June 8 fight on the horizon, James is building momentum towards a world title opportunity and isn’t taking anyone lightly.

“I’m not overlooking anyone, whoever gets put in front of me I’m training for like it was a world title fight,” DeGale told Hennessy Sports.

“I know that there are big names out there, but the first thing I have to do is take care of Stjepan Bozic on June 8.

“I’m the WBC Silver champion and ranked highly with the world governing bodies, I’m aiming to put on a great show at Glow and if either Froch or Groves feel ready for a domestic super fight I hope they realise that I’m ready for them too – let’s get it on.”

Supporting DeGale at Glow will be WBC International super-bantamweight champion Kid Galahad.

Also in action will be middleweight sensation Chris Eubank Jr in his tenth professional fight, while current World Youth Super-heavyweight champion Hughie Fury contests his fifth professional fight.

Heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury will be a ringside guest alongside Pougatch on the night. He will be assessing the performances of rising British stars Kid Galahad, Chris Eubank Jr and his own cousin Hughie Fury.

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BBC Two has highlights of this week’s action from the prestigious European Amateur Championships in Belarus on Sunday afternoon at 4pm.

The 2013 edition takes place at the Minsk Palace of Sports and coverage will focus on the efforts of a strong British squad.

It is the first major tournament since the London Olympics and Great Britain have selected a competitive line-up of boxers to travel to Minsk.

Olympian Andrew Selby will be attempting to make history by becoming the first British boxer to retain a European Amateur title.

The Welshman clinched the 2011 title in Ankara when he narrowly beat Russia’s Georgy Balakshin.

Also in the squad are the English pair of Gamal Yafai and Charlie Edwards, who have previously won European bronze medals.

British boxers will represent their own home nations in the competition.

Manish Bhasin presents BBC Two’s coverage and will be joined in the studio by Olympic gold medallists Anthony Joshua and Nicola Adams, as well as respected boxing broadcaster Steve Bunce.

Commentary comes from Ron McIntosh and Richie Woodhall.

There is also live coverage of selected finals on Saturday lunchtime via the BBC Red Button (11.30am-3pm).

Top-class international show jumping returns to London almost a year on from the 2012 Olympics, as the fourth round of the Longines Global Champions Tour takes place at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Many of Team GB’s gold medal-winning team from last year’s Games will compete for a top prize of €450,000 as the prestigious worldwide series is staged for the first time in the city.

The world’s top 40 riders, including Team GB gold medallists Nick Skelton, Scott Brash and Ben Maher, will be taking part in this spectacular event at the Olympic Park which will be broadcast live on BBC One this Saturday (June 8).

London’s leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour takes place from June 6-9 with the best riders and horses in the world of show jumping competing for championship series ranking points and top prize money.

The capital city’s Global Champions Tour debut will see a strong field of top UK riders taking on the rest of the world to relive the glory of last summer’s Olympics.

The show is being heralded as the most important international show jumping event to hit Britain since the Olympics and is much anticipated by the UK’s huge horse-loving community.

A 23,000 strong crowd, with millions more watching at home, saw Great Britain’s show jumping team win Olympic gold, the first for Great Britain in this sport for 60 years, at Greenwich Park last summer.

This was coupled with the Great Britain dressage team claiming both team and individual gold a few days later.

Olympic gold medallists Nick Skelton, Scott Brash and Ben Maher, plus equestrian sport legends like the Whitaker brothers Michael and John, are on the high calibre start list for the London leg of the Global Champions Tour series which features most of the top 30 riders in the world today.

The 13-strong contingent of British riders also includes Robert Smith, Tim Gredley, Mark Armstrong, Tina Fletcher, William Funnell, Yazmin Pinchen, Alexandra Thornton and Laura Renwick.

They will be up against the biggest hitters on the show jumping scene today including current Tour leader Laura Kraut, Christian Ahlmann, 2011 and 2012 Global Champions Tour winner Edwina-Tops Alexander, Pius Schwizer and Ireland’s Denis Lynch.

They will all be among the top 30 riders competing for a share of the staggering €450,000 in prize money.

London Mayor Boris Johnson has also shown his support for this Olympic legacy event and he will be getting in the saddle at the Olympic Park on the day of the event.

BBC Sportwill have live coverage of the first ever Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London on Saturday, June 7.

Clare Balding will present the two-hour programme, starting on BBC One at 3.00pm, live from the specially-built showground inside the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, located alongside the Aquatics Centre and in the shadow of the Olympic Stadium.

The BBC’s coverage will feature interviews with Great Britain’s Olympic gold medal winning team, including Nick Skelton, and other top international show jumping riders at the prestigious event.

It will cover the excitement of the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix live and include special behind-the-scenes footage with the champion riders and their horses.

Commentary will be provided by Michael Tucker and Andy Austin.

The BBC will also be broadcasting live from the event on Sunday via the Red Button from 4.00pm with coverage of the €100,000 5* class featuring all the world’s top riders and horses.

British Eurosportwill also be broadcasting delayed coverage of Grand Prix action on Saturday, June 8, at 9.15pm.

Longines Global Champions Tour London organiser Peter Phillips said: “It is going to capture the excitement of last year’s Olympics and it’s great to have Clare Balding and the BBC broadcasting live.

“The whole aim is to bring show jumping to city centres and to make it accessible to everyone. The International Quarter next to the Olympic Park is perfect.”

Online–The Longines Global Champions Tour’s own live streaming service will be broadcasting all the competitions live on the website, starting on Thursday morning – CLICK HERE

World Cup qualifying returns for a bumper stretch across June with significant action in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America.

Scotland’s tricky away qualifier against Croatia in Zagreb is live on both BBC Two Scotland and ESPN on June 7, while Sky Sports will screen the Republic of Ireland’s qualifying encounter against the Faroe Islands in Dublin on the same night.

A host of other top international clashes will be shown on ESPN, British Eurosport and Premier Sports, plus UK users can watch a variety of European qualifying matches for FREE via theQualifiers 2014 YouTube channel, including Portugal v Russia live on this site from 8.45pm.

The action gets underway on Tuesday morning as Japan take on Australia in Saitama knowing that avoiding defeat will take them to the World Cup; and they may even qualify anyway should Iraq fail to win in Oman in the afternoon.

The Socceroos, meanwhile, are in trouble with just one win from their opening five matches. British Eurosport 2 will show the game, along with further matches as the Asian qualifiers reach a climax in June.

On Friday evening, Scotland’s trip to Croatia is live on BBC Two in Scotland (Sky & Freesat 970) and ESPN across the UK.

In truth, the match means more for the hosts, with Croatia battling Belgium for top spot in Group A.

Qualification for Brazil is now impossible for Scotland and theirsquad is seriously depleted due to injuries, illness and withdrawals and Gordon Strachan will have his work cut out to register his first competitive point as Scotland manager.

Also on Friday night, Republic of Ireland follow up their encouraging friendlies against England and Georgia with what should be a home-banker against the lowly Faroe Islands, live on Sky Sports 1.

Three points for the Irish will keep them in competition with Sweden and Austria for a play-off berth behind the all-conquering Germans.

England are not in qualifying action in the summer but there are two key matches in their group on Friday evening, with Poland expecting to win in Moldova and a crunch match in Podgorica between group leaders Montenegro and an improving Ukraine.

Internet viewers can then enjoy South American action via the live streaming services on various bookmakers’ websites – including Bet365 and William Hill – including a mouth-watering clash between Argentina and Colombia, which is also shown on Premier Sports.

Saturday is a quieter day with only Switzerland vs Cyprus on Qualifiers 2014 available to UK viewers.

Qualifying action returns in earnest on Tuesday, June 11, with British Eurosport 2 screening Australia’s clash with Jordan followed by South Korea against Uzbekistan.

The dominant Japan aside, Asian qualifying has proven very competitive and Jordan, Qatar and Oman all continue to harbour realistic ambitions of qualifying for the first time.

South American qualifiers on live streaming services include a key fixture in the small hours of Wednesday morning as struggling Uruguay, without the suspended Luis Suárez, visit a Venezuela side who can take huge strides towards their first ever World Cup with a win.

Things are becoming clearer in South America’s all-in qualifying competition with the struggles of Uruguay set to be the main story of the remaining matchdays.

Without a qualifying win in a year, things have been going downhill for Óscar Tabárez’s side, who won the 2011 Copa América, since a comprehensive 4-0 defeat in Colombia last September.

With only Paraguay and Bolivia without any realistic hopes of qualifying, the 2010 semi-finalists are competing with Chile, Venezuela and Peru for the fourth automatic berth or fifth place and a play-off with a team from Asia.

Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador already have a considerable cushion beneath them and look strong bets to qualify.

Asian action returns a week later with three live games on Eurosport 2: a must-win game for Australia against Iraq in Sydney; a potentially decisive match between Uzbekistan and Qatar; and an Arabian ‘derby’ between Jordan and Oman.

Meanwhile, ESPN have live coverage of the Netherlands’ tour of Asia, which takes in matches against Indonesia (Friday, June 7) and China (Tuesday, June 11).

The Republic of Ireland’s friendly against Spain in New York’s Yankee Stadium is live on Premier Sports.

After two races in Europe, Formula 1 is once again moves into flyaway mode as the circus travels to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix.

The semi-street Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, named after the legendary late Canadian driver, will test every element of a Formula 1 driver’s repertoire and never fails to provide an entertaining grand prix.

Both BBC Sport and Sky Sports F1 will broadcast live coverage of every session throughout the weekend, all of which will be at viewer-friendly times with both qualifying and the race in primetime evening slots.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve circuit always manages to deliver one of the most exciting races in any Formula 1 season.

With its low grip surface and the scope for plenty of overtaking, plus a very high likelihood of safety cars, it is always an entertaining event and hard to predict.

After the ultra-high downforce set-ups in Monaco, a very different challenge awaits the drivers in Montreal as Formula 1 makes its annual pilgrimage to Canada.

The circuit requires the second lowest wing levels of the season, only beaten by Monza, meaning fans are usually treated to thrilling slip-streaming action at 200mph.

The high speeds and heavy braking zones make it a paradise for overtaking, while the unforgiving walls which hem in the race track on all sides provide a drama all of their own.

Additionally, the weather rarely fails to play a part in the race. Searing heat and tremendous downpours have both been commonplace in recent years – either of which can serve to turn race strategy on its head.

So far this season, four teams – Lotus, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes – have recorded victories in the opening six races as the championship nears up to reach its halfway point.

Despite each proving itself capable of dominating under the right circumstances, none has reached the top step of the podium without being made to work exceptionally hard for the privilege, and the Canadian Grand Prix promises no less.

Red Bull currently leads both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, but the Austrian outfit has never won in Montreal, while McLaren has ruled for the last three years but the chances of repeating that success with its uncompetitive car this year seem unlikely.

Sebastian Vettel extended his lead at the top of the drivers’ standings to 21 points last time out around the tight and twisting streets of Monaco.

But he was unable to claim the full 25 points as he crossed the finish line second behind Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, who secured his second F1 win, exactly 30 years on from his father Keke’s triumph at the famous race in a Williams.

Fans can follow all the action from the seventh round of the 2013 FIA Formula 1 World Championship on BBC TV and Sky Sports F1.

BBC Sport will have live free-to-air television coverage of the Canadian Grand Prix, its third live race weekend of the 2013 season.

All five on-track sessions will be shown live on BBC television, including the three practice sessions on Friday and Saturday.

Plus, as usual, both qualifying and the race will be shown live on Saturday and Sunday respectively on BBC One and BBC One HD in a viewer-friendly primetime slot on both evenings.

On Friday, the first 45-minutes of Practice 1 will be shown behind the Red Button, with BBC Two’s coverage starting at 3.45pm, while Practice 2 will be broadcast live on BBC Three at 7pm. Saturday afternoon’s Third Practice is live on BBC Two.

All the live action from Montreal will be introduced from trackside by Suzi Perry.

She will be joined by regular trackside experts David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan, both of whom will be on hand to provide lively analysis and discussion in the pits and paddock.

During the one-hour qualifying and race build-ups there will be plenty of new features and interviews to keep viewers informed and entertained, including David Coulthard’s grid-walk on race day.

Commentary comes from Ben Edwards and David Coulthard, with technical analysis from Gary Anderson, while Lee McKenzie and Tom Clarkson will provide pit-lane updates and conduct interviews with the drivers and team personel.

BBC Sport’s popular F1 Forum, presented by Suzi Perry, follows the conclusion of the BBC One race transmission on the BBC Red Button and online at 7.10pm.

The BBC Sport websitewill have live streaming of all live BBC TV broadcasts, as well as additional live video content during including extra feeds such as driver tracker, on-board cameras, pits channel and a choice of commentary, plus interviews and analysis.

All of the BBC’s TV coverage will be available to view shortly after transmission onBBC iPlayer.

Sky Sports F1 HD will also have extensive live coverage of every session of the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix.

After the early, European-friendly start times for coverage from Bahrain, Spain and Monaco, there’s a jolt to the system in store this weekend when F1 crosses the Atlantic for the first of two North American visits this season.

The Sky Sports F1 schedule will be based around viewer-friendly early-afternoon and early-evening starts.

Every practice session, Saturday’s qualifying and the race itself will be shown live in stunning high definition throughout the weekend.

Simon Lazenby will present full coverage of the Friday practice sessions, qualifying and the race itself, where he will be joined throughout the weekend by Martin Brundle, Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill.

Commentary on all sessions comes from David Croft with Martin Brundle joining him for both qualifying and the race. Guest commentators will fill in for Anthony Davidson on the practice sessions as he has racing commitments elsewhere.

Friday’s edition of The F1 Show will provide all the essential build-up to the weekend, presented by Ted Kravitz and Rachel Brookes, at 11pm.

Ahead of the Qualifying action on Saturday itself, commentator David Croft will be talking to two of the stars of the Monaco GP – Adrian Sutil of Force India and Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne, while Ted Kravitz is given a driving lesson by the Caterham team.

As for the main event, coverage of the Canadian GP on Sky Sports F1 begins at 5.30pm on Sunday afternoon.

Among the highlights in Sky’s race build-up will be an exclusive chat with McLaren’s Sergio Perez out on the track, the final part of the Red Bull’s Road to Greatness series, plus all the latest news and analysis ahead of what has traditionally been one of the most exciting races on the calendar.

Throw in Martin Brundle’s Grid Walk and Ted Kravitz’s post-race Notebook during the live coverage, plus a forecast of rain over the weekend, it promises to be another unmissable grand prix in Montreal.

A host of interactive additions, including on-board cameras, pit-lane feeds, the latest race stats and much more available via the red button and the Sky Sports for iPad app.

For those who won’t be at home, every second of the drama from the Shanghai International Circuit can be seen on Sky Go.

Further information, news and video content can be found atskysports.com/f1, and viewers are encouraged to interact with the live programmes via Twitter –@SkySportsF1, #SkyF1.

Celebrated sports broadcasters Danny Baker and Danny Kelly will reform their on-off broadcasting partnership to front a lively Friday night football show on the new BT Sport channels.

The duo have worked together on similar shows over the past two decades, most famously on BBC Radio 5 Live, and they will be reunited for a live interactive football show entitled ‘Baker and Kelly’s Vaguely Sporting Phone-Out’.

It will run on Friday evenings for 40 weeks throughout the 2013-2014 season on BT Sport, with the first show airing on August 16, the day before the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League season kicks off.

BT Sport describes the show as a “weekly hour of original unpredictable, football-themed entertainment with audience participation on phones, texts, email and social media”.

The series will be co-produced by BT Sport and Campbell Davison Media, the company behind Danny Baker’s multi award-winning BBC Radio 5live Show on Saturday mornings, and will be broadcast live from the new state-of-the-art BT Sport studios located on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford.

A renowned broadcaster and writer for more than 25 years, Danny Baker, who presented the original BBC 606 football phone-in, said: “We intend to make all other twisted opinion shows seem as dull as egg eating contests.

“No wait, egg eating contests are pretty cool aren’t they? Like in Cool Hand Luke who, lest we forget, before he ate the eggs was just called Hand Luke.

“So just as I said, but forget the egg eating contest bit. Instead think ‘all other football opinion shows” That’s it. Baker & Kelly: The Best At All That Stuff. Sometimes right. Sometimes wrong. Always certain.”

Journalist, TV presenter and TalkSPORT host Danny Kelly said: “Baker! Kelly! Back! Hurrah! Thrilled! Let torches be lit in the high places of the land and bunting be flown from every spire!

“Seriously, we’re delighted to have another crack at whatever it is that we do.

“Only BT Sport could combine the strategic vision, creative drive and financial muscle to make this happen. It’s even possible they won’t regret it.”

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “Danny Baker and Danny Kelly are two of the country’s best-known and admired football hosts.

“Their off the wall observations and passionate, humorous and engaging style of debate will be a huge hit with our viewers as we try to build some fantastic and fun programmes around the incredible live rights we have secured.”

Producer Clare Davison said: “Campbell Davison Media are delighted to be working with BT Sport to referee the explosive talents of Baker & Kelly on the weekend TV schedule.

“Unique entertainment for all football supporters, many of whom, we understand, own actual phones and will want to take part.”

Danny Baker will continue to host his Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 5 live alongside his new BT Sport show.

The broadcaster recently wrote and presented two TV series for BBC Four, “Danny Baker’s Great Album Showdown” and “Brushing up on….”. His autobiography “Going to Sea in A Sieve” is out in paperback.

Danny Kelly fronts “Kick Off” on TalkSPORT and the sports biography chat show “My Sporting Life”, which he will also continue to host alongside his BT Sport commitments.

A former editor of the New Musical Express, Kelly has also presented live NFL coverage on Channel 4 and co-authored the book “Classic Football Debates Settled Once and For All” with Baker.

Baker and Kelly’s show is the fourth major sports show to be confirmed by BT Sport as the network looks to build a collection of magazine programmes to support its live sports coverage.

It has signed up BAFTA award-winning presenter Clare Balding to front her own weekly chat show, featuring a variety of sporting guests with a particular focus on women’s sport.

BT Sport launches on August 1 and will show 38 live and exclusive football matches from the Barclays Premier League, including 18 of the ‘top picks’ from August 2013 for three seasons.

The channels will also show live FA Cup, Europa League and Scottish Premier League matches, as well as top tier live football from Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Australia and the USA, plus action from the FA Women’s Super League.

The eight best teams in international one-day cricket compete for the last-ever ICC Champions Trophy this summer with all the action only on Sky Sports.

Ahead of their Ashes visit later this summer, Australia will be aiming to claim their third consecutive Champions Trophy title in a row having won the competition in convincing fashion four years ago in South Africa and in India back in 2006.

They will face fierce competition from India, the number one ranked side in the world and current World Cup holders, hosts England, led by captain Alastair Cook, and a strong South African side.

Fellow international heavyweights Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies will also fancy their chances in the star-studded tournament, which starts on June 6.

Three grounds in England and Wales play host to the last Champions Trophy tournament, with the opening match between India and South Africa at the Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, on June 6.

Scheduled to be replaced by the ICC World Test Championship in the coming years, this mini-World Cup tournament features only the cream of international one-day cricket’s crop.

Some commentators have called for the Champions Trophy to be dropped from the overcrowded international cricket schedule, while others have praised its short, two-week format in contrast to the long-drawn-out ICC World Cup, which lasted six weeks in 2011.

Cardiff, Edgbaston and The Oval each host four group matches in the competition which sees the eight teams divided into two pools of four.

England have been drawn in Group A with Sri Lanka, New Zealand and two-time defending champions Australia, but they’ll have to wait until the third day to begin their campaign.

India and South Africa will be the first two teams out of the gate when they contest the opening Group B clash at Cardiff’s SWALEC Stadium on Thursday, June 6, with the West Indies and Pakistan also in their group.

The top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals, hosted at the Oval and Cardiff, with the winners then progressing to the final at Edgbaston on Sunday, June 23.

With England playing on home soil the tournament offers Alastair Cook’s side a strong chance of landing their first major 50-over title, though the ODI series defeat to New Zealand in the build-up has put a slight question marks over their chances.

They will look to draw inspiration from the 2004 staging of the tournament in England, when Michael Vaughan’s team reached the final after beating a strong Australian side in a memorable semi-final.

Australia, Champions Trophy winners in both 2006 and 2009, are second in the current world rankings, but lost in humiliating fashion to India by 243 runs in their final warm-up match ahead of the competition, after being bowled out for 65.

Captain Michael Clarke’s back injury is also a major worry ahead of the tournament, with the Aussies facing England first up in an appetiser for the forthcoming Ashes series.

World champions India are the number on ranked side in ODI cricket, but whether they can thrive in English conditions is another question.

On paper they look weaker than Pakistan and South Africa, but with Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni leading the batting and Ravi Ashwin and Ishant Sharma the bowling they have a strong chance of winning.

Despite the patchy recent ODI form of the hosts, there are no clear favourites for this tournament which will make this two-week internatinal cricketing carnival even more intriguing.

Details of how to follow the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy below:

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Sky Sports has exclusive television coverage of the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy held across three venues in England and Wales this June.

Cricket fans will not miss a catch, run or wicket with Sky’s decorated team of experts providing comprehensive coverage of every match through to the final at Edgbaston on June 23.

David Gower, Ian Ward and Charles Colvile will share presenting duties across Sky Sports’ extensive live coverage of all 15 games and nightly highlights.

ICC’s global TV rights partner STAR Sports will be responsible for producing the live match coverage of each game during the tournament to around 180 territories worldwide.

They will produce high-definition coverage using 29 cameras at each of the three grounds, including Spydercam, enhanced Hawkeye cameras, Hot Spot and Ultra Motion cameras.

In the commentary box, STAR has assembled a top class team of leading figures from the world of cricket broadcasting.

Further analysis and comment in the Sky Sports studio will come from the likes of Sir Ian Botham, Nick Knight, Bob Willis and Dominic Cork.

Commenting on his involvement with the host broadcast for the tournament, Sky’s Nasser Hussain said: “I’m really looking forward to being part of the Star Sports commentary team for the ICC Champions Trophy for what I’m sure will be top class coverage of the event.

“It’s great to have the best eight teams in the world here in England and Wales. The atmosphere will be electric.”

Michael Atherton added: “The ICC Champions Trophy is one of the best events in cricket. Every game matters and they’ll be played in front of big crowds in the UK.

“All the teams have a chance of winning – it’s absolutely wide open. I can’t wait to join the Star Sports team.”

Fans can keep up-to-date with all the latest news, statistics and latest scores from the tournament via theSky Sports cricket website.

In addition to exclusive TV coverage, Sky Sports subscribers can can watch every game on Sky Go via their computer, mobile or tablet.

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BBC’s Test Match Special will have exclusive radio commentary of every match at the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.

All 15 games will be broadcast in full on BBC Radio 5 live Sports Extra, while coverage of England’s three group games, the semi-finals and final will also feature via the traditional wireless on BBC Radio 4 Long Wave.

Jonathan Agnew will lead the commentary team alongside TMS regulars Henry Blofeld, Simon Mann, Michael Vaughan, Phil Tufnell and Ed Smith, as well as a selection of top international commentators.

Live streaming of TMS radio coverage will available to listen to via the BBC Sport website and the BBC iPlayer Radio app.

England’s Under 21s launch their bid to become European champions this summer with Sky Sports again providing extensive live coverage of the UEFA U-21 Championship in Israel.

The biennal eight-team tournament gets underway on Wednesday, June 5, with the final taking place just under three weeks later in Jerusalem, on Tuesday, June 18.

Stuart Pearce’s in-form England side are in Group A along with the host nation, as well as Norway and Italy, while a heavyweight Group B contains holders Spain along with Russia, Netherlands and Germany.

Despite some high-profile calls to boycott the competition since Israel was announced as host, four of the country’s largest cities will stage fixtures – Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Netanya and Petah Tikva – in temperatures of up to 35 degrees celsius.

It is the fourth consecutive UEFA U21 Championship for which England have qualified – a feat unmatched by any other side in Europe.

England’s U21 side have been unbeaten since 2011 and arrive in Israel among the tournament favourites, though the field is a strong one.

Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson, Manchester United’s Wilfried Zaha and Blackpool’s Tom Ince are all set to feature for the Three Lions.

As well as England’s brightest stars, the next generation of players from Germany, Spain, Russia, Norway, Netherlands, Italy and Israel will take centre stage.

Three of European football’s elite nations – Germany, Italy and the Netherlands – return to the U21 championship fold having failed to qualify for the 2011 championship in Denmark.

The timing of the tournament, however, will cause a headache for those countries who have competitive senior commitments.

Norway, for example, have named three players in their squad who will not arrive until their final group match against Italy as they are also in the senior side who have a World Cup qualifying match against Albania on June 7.

England have no such worries, but eligible players such as Danny Welbeck, Phil Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain travelled with the senior squad to Brazil for a friendly prior to the tournament and are therefore unavailable, while Jack Wilshere, Raheem Sterling and Callum McManaman are injured.

Spain and Italy, as was the case four years ago, must cope with having to play in two tournaments at once, with the second half of the U21 Championship overlapping with the group matches of the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

This cost Spain dearly in 2009 when eligible players Gerard Piqué, Cesc Fàbregas, Sergio Busquets, Sergio Ramos, David Silva and Juan Mata were all at the Confederations Cup in South Africa.

A denuded U21 squad drew with Germany but lost their second match against England and failed to make it through the group stage.

Italy must cope without young Milan forwards Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy, who will be in Brazil but will have Paris St-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti and Roma striker Mattia Destro available in Israel.

The Netherlands have a strong squad, with the tournament evidently being prioritized over the seniors’ tour to Asia to play friendlies against Indonesia and China.

Defenders Daley Blind, Bruno Martins Indi and Stefan de Vrij all started the last World Cup qualifier against Romania in March, while midfielders Kevin Strootman, Adam Maher and Jordy Clasie all have recent experience with the senior side.

Standout matches include England’s opening fixture against Italy (June 5), the perpetual grudge match between the Netherlands and Germany (June 6) and a potentially decisive final group stage encounter for the Dutch against Spain (June 12).

Sky Sports will have exclusive UK television coverage of the tournament in Israel, while BBC Radio 5 live will provide live commentaries of every England match.

The BBC has secured the rights to broadcast England’s two Tests against Argentina in June.

Stuart Lancaster’s team travel to South America, minus their British & Irish Lions contingent, for what will be their first two-match series against the Pumas in Argentina since 1997.

BBC commentator Brian Moore, who is covering the forthcoming Lions Tour with talkSPORT, confirmed that the corporation had picked up the rights to screen the tw0-test series from the Argentine rugby board UAR.

He announced viaTwitter: “England rugby fans – the 2 Argentina Tests will be on BBC c8.00pm on the respective Saturdays. Both games live on BBC2.”

Official confirmation came soon after from the BBC themselves, with the first test on June 8 scheduled for live broadcast on BBC Two at 7.30pm ahead of a 8.10pm kick-off.

Jason Mohammed will present live coverage of the first test from Salta, while John Inverdale hosts the second match held in Buenos Aires a week later.

The two sides last met in South America in June 2009, when current England captain Chris Robshaw won his first cap in a 24-22 defeat at the hands of the Pumas, in a match which was only covered on UK television in a late-night highlights on Channel 5.

England narrowly beat Argentina in their previous encounter, a pool stage match at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, in Dunedin courtesy of a late try from Ben Youngs.

With a number of England’s elite players involved with the Lions squad, 11 uncapped players have been named in their squad for this summer’s South America tour.

Captained by Northampton Saints flanker Tom Wood, the tour party includes five players who are 21 or under, the youngest of whom is London Wasps number eight Billy Vunipola.

Chris Robshaw, Danny Care, Toby Flood, Brad Barritt and Chris Ashton – all absentees from the Lions squad – are among those who have been rested for Argentina tour, giving England coaches the opportunity to try out some fresh faces.

Despite some key absences, Stuart Lancaster can still call on the likes of Mike Brown, Joe Launchbury and Billy Twelvetrees, who were regulars in the squad during this year’s Six Nations.

Philip Bernie, BBC head of TV Sport said: ‘We know that there is always a keen audience to watch England’s rugby internationals, so we’re delighted to be covering their two Tests in Argentina, who will provide a strong challenge.

“This adds to our considerable regular portfolio of international rugby live on BBC television.”

Sophie Goldschmidt, RFU Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are delighted that the two upcoming England Tests will be broadcast live on the BBC giving all England Rugby fans the opportunity to support the team during the prime time TV coverage this June.

“Stuart Lancaster has taken a young squad to South America and exciting talent will be on show as England aim for their first series win in Argentina since 1981.”

BBC One Wales will cover the first test in Osaka on June 8 (also available nationwide via BBC Red Button) and S4C will screen the second test in Tokyo a week later.

Scotland travel to South Africa to play three matches as part of a quadrangular tournament which also involves Samoa, Italy and the Springboks. Every match from this series will be screened live on Sky Sports.

Ireland embark on a two-test tour of North America, facing the United States and Canada respectively. UK television coverage of these two matches has yet to be confirmed, though they will be covered in Ireland by TG4.

Finally, 2011 World Cup finalists New Zealand and France lock horns in a three-test series with every match live on Sky Sports.

After four long years for British and Irish fans, the Lions roar into life once again for the 2013 Tour of Australia and Sky Sports will be the only place to witness all the drama as a magical month of rugby unfolds.

Warren Gatland and his coaching staff will be looking to secure the first Lions series win since South Africa in 1997 and create a new breed of legends to wear the famous red jersey, led by captain Sam Warburton.

The Lions will be heading down under for the 125th anniversary tour to take on Australia in three test matches and a further six tour matches, with an additional game to kick-start the tour in Hong Kong against the famous Barbarians side on June 1.

A dozen years have passed since the Lions were last in Australia in 2001 where they got off to a flying start in the first Test.

Australia were left stunned by the loss and by the overwhelming support from the Lions fans that never faded despite the Wallabies rallying in the next two Tests to clinch the series 2-1.

Since then the last two Lions series in New Zealand and South Africa have ended in defeat, although a spirited Lions squad, led by captain Paul O’Connell, managed to restore some pride with victory in the final test against the then reigning Tri-Nations and World Cup champions four years ago in Johannesburg.

This was after the Lions agonisingly missed out on victory in both of the opening two tests against the Springboks.

Four more years have passed and now it is the turn of the Lions class of 2013 to deliver a series win for the first time in 16 years.

With the first test against Australia fast approaching, the 37 members of the squad who have travelled to the southern hemisphere will be determined to impress head coach Warren Gatland and stake their claim for a place in the starting 15.

Tour captain Sam Warburton, who had been odds-on favourite to be named skipper, is one of 15 Wales players selected by head coach Gatland for the trip down under.

Ireland have ten members of the touring party, including the talismanic figure of Brian O’Driscoll, while England will be represented by nine players and three Scots are also included in the 37-man squad.

Among the surprises in the announcements are call-ups for Saracens front-rows Matt Stevens and Mako Vunipola, while England captain Chris Robshaw and Scotland’s Kelly Brown missed out on selection.

Jonny Wilkinson is also omitted, with Jonathan Sexton and Owen Farrell preferred at fly-half.

Tommy Bowe, Dan Lydiate and Paul O’Connell are included after proving their fitness, while Sean Maitland, Richie Gray and Stuart Hogg will fly the flag for Scotland.

England hooker Dylan Hartley was originally selected but after being suspended for 11 weeks for his red card in Northampton’s Aviva Premiership final defeat to Leicester, he will miss the entire tour, with Ireland’s Rory Best called up as his replacement.

For the first time a Lions Tour starts off in Hong Kong where the Lions will warm-up against the Barbarians on June 1st before heading to Australia.

It will be the first time the Lions have played in Hong Kong and their second game against the Baa-Baas, after the two sides met at Twickenham in 1977 to mark the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, where the 2013 Lions tour manager Andy Irvine played for the Lions in their 23-14 win.

The battle for a starting place in the Test side will be fierce but the Lions will have plenty of opportunities to prove their worth as they take on Super Rugby sides Western Force, Queensland Reds, Waratahs and the Brumbies, as well as a combined NSW and Queensland side.

More and more supporters will land in Australia and gravitate towards the Lions team as the 2013 Tour builds momentum towards the Test Series.

Six tour matches will place before the first Test in Brisbane on June 22, and the series will be completed with the remaining two encounters against the Wallabies on June 29 in Melbourne and July 6 in Sydney respectively.

After six tour matches in the build-up the Red Army will march on to Brisbane for the first Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane on June 22, almost exactly twelve years on from when the Lions won the opening Test here 29-13.

Hopes will be high as the Lions head south to Melbourne for their final tour game against the Rebels on June 25.

So many sporting, historical and cultural venues in the city will keep the Red Army busy prior to another huge Test confrontation against the Wallabies at the Etihad Stadium on June 29.

The third and final Test takes place in Sydney on July 6, bringing an end to what promises to be a unforgetable month of international rugby.

All Lions’ fans will be hoping their team ends almost two decades of pain by claiming their outright series win since 1997, a fitting way to mark the 125th anniversary of the first Lions Tour in 1888.

There will be plenty of build-up programming to the tour including a preview of the series prior to the clash with the Barbarians (May 31 at 7pm, SS2), plus there will also be hour-long shows looking ahead to each test match against Australia.

Viewers can watch Lions Legends, a series looking at some of the greatest players ever to have worn the famous red jersey.

These will be complemented by special editions of Sporting Heroes and Time of Our Lives, highlights from previous tours and Living with Pride, a documentary series from 2009.

Five former British & Irish Lions, including the greatest coach in the history of the combined side, will spearhead Sky Sports on-air team for the 125th anniversary tour to Hong Kong and Australia.

Alex Payne will lead the presentation line-up on a Lions Tour for the first time as he presents live coverage of all ten games on the tour.

The on-air team will be based pitchside in Australia for the three showpiece Tests at the end of June and early July.

Experience commentary duo Miles Harrison and Stuart Barnes join forces for the fifth successive Lions Tour to commentate on every game of the 2013 Tour.

Studio pundits will include Will Greenwood, who was involved in three tours with the Lions, as well as Paul Wallace and Scott Quinnell, both part of the last squad to win a series in 1997.

Sir Ian McGeechan, the coach of that successful tour of South Africa as well as the 2009 Lions squad, will also be part of the Sky Sports punditry team, as will 1989 and 1993 Lions squad member Scott Hastings.

Michael Lynagh, who represented Australia against the Lions in 1989, will join the team for some of the games, while respected coach Dean Ryan will also be on hand to provide detailed match analysis.

Sky Sports News will keep viewers up to date with all the latest news and users of the Sky Sports for iPad app can access videos, updated news, match data and highlights.

As well as the all action on the pitch, fans can also stay bang up to date with all the goings on in Australia by watching online via Sky Go or by logging onto Sky Sports’ dedicatedLions Tour website, which also includes the latest news, features, interviews and video from the Sky Sports team in Australia.

Commenting on Sky’s coverage, three-time British & Irish Lion Will Greenwood said: “To be a Lion is the greatest accolade afforded to any British & Irish rugby player and the tours offer drama and excitement in equal measure.”

“Coverage on Sky Sports has helped build excitement and anticipation over the years, with not just the Tests but also every tour match shown live, and our schedule offers the perfect build up over the next few weeks.”

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talkSPORT will broadcast exclusively live national radio commentary of a British & Irish Lions Tour for the first time in 2013.

The station beat competition from the BBC to broadcast all 10 British & Irish Lions matches, including the three Tests against Australia and the warm up match in Hong Kong against the Barbarians, on a multiplatform basis across 1089/1053AM, digital radio and online.

This will be the first time ever that a Lions tour has been exclusively broadcast on commercial radio in the UK, and follows on from talkSPORT’s exclusive commentaries from the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

The station has a dedicated weekly rugby programme ‘Full Contact’ and previously broadcast commentary of the three Test matches during the 2005 Lions Tour to New Zealand on a non-exclusive basis in the UK.

talkSPORT’s presentation and commentary team will include Mark Saggers, Brian Moore and Andrew McKenna.

Commenting on the deal last year, Moz Dee, the now-departed talkSPORT programme director, said: “The Lions Tour is one of the biggest events in sport, and we’re proud to be bringing this exclusively to our audience.

“We had a great Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and we can’t wait to follow the Lions in Australia.

“talkSPORT will be announcing a great team to cover the Tour and we’re delighted that our sister station Swansea Sound will also be broadcasting the Tests and giving our coverage a regional flavour.”

John Feehan, Lions Chief Executive, said: “talkSPORT has become a major force in UK sports radio with proven experience in live rugby broadcasting.

“It’s proper that the Lions Tour in its 125th year looks for dynamic new partners that benefit both our sponsors and fans and we’re extremely pleased to be working with talkSPORT.”